Paper and mail box



May 14 1929' J. H. KEERAN 1,712,827`

PAPER AND MAIL BOX Filed April 30, 1928 Patented May 14, 19E-.29..

PATENT ortica.

rosnru n. kunnen,

OF ANKENY, IOWA.

PAPER AND MAIL Box.

` application inea apra 3o,

An object oi this invention is to provide an improved mail box adapted to display a visual signal when and after mail matter has been deposited in said boX.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved mail box equipped with a visual signal adapted to be tripped and displayed by the deposit oli mail niatter in said box.

A further object oit the invention is to provide an improved visual signal and sig.;L- nal trip mechanism 'for mail boxes.

il. `further object of the invention is to be found in the provision of improved nal operating mechanism for mail boxes.

A further object of the invention is to be iound in the provision ol improved. trip mechanism adapted for the actuation of a visual signal in combination with a mail bon', said mechanism being operated by the deposit ot mail matter in said box.

My invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which-- Figure l is a side elevation of a mail hon equipped with my iinprovenient,t` the signal being set inits untripped position, certain parts oitx the inail box beingl broken away to show interior construction. Figure 2 is a side elevation similar to Figure l, the signal and operating); niecl'ianism being shown in tripped position. view of the showing of Figure l, `dotted lines indicating the tripped position ol?` the signal. Figure d is a vertical section on the indicated line 4l--il oli' Figure l. Figure 5 is a liront end elevation of the showing' et Figure l. Figure (l is a detail plan view ol one end of a loch bar employed in the improvement.

lin ruraldistricts, particularly, mail boites are frequently located at a considerable dis tance from the habitations served thereby and hence it becomes important, in order to save frequent and 'futile trips to the mail bor, that some signalling means he had in combination with the mail box to indicate when mail has been deposited therein. Numerous and varied signalling devices have been employed in the past, most of which are designed to be set or operated by the Figure 3 is a rear end 1928. Serial No. 274,063.

postman at the time the mail is deposited, b ut none oi which are as efficient and positive in action as that hereinafter described.

In the construction et my improvement as shown, the numeral l indicates a inail box, in this instance cylindrical in forni, preferably formed ol sheet metah havingr one open end through which mail matter may be inserted and a closing plate 11 transversely of the other end and a suitable bracket 12 whereby the box may be mounted on and secured to a support. 'llietype and general form of mail box illustrated is in common and general use and indicates but one olf many forms to which my imigjirovenient may be applied with advantage. A.

ingr` flange lll at one end and is adapted to be positioned within the bei; adjan cent theclosed end thereof and suitably seA cured thereto by means of bolts l5, or otherwise, the flanged end 141 oli the hase 13 beto forma hook 18, is slidingly mounted in the notch 1G with the hook 18 between the liange let. and plate il and above the base la, said bar 17 attendingr longitudinally el the box l() toward the open end of said bei:

where it is pivotally connected to a lever 19. `The lever l!) is pivoted for actuation through a verticalarc longitudinally of the box l() in a suitable base 20 which is bolted or otherwise secured to the bottom of said box in such manner as to posit-ionthe lever 19 centrally of and substantially across the open end ot said boit when said lever is in its vertical or raised position. It is ot course apparent that as the lever 19 is rocked about its pivot longitudinally of the box 1t), the bar 17 is caused to reciprocate longitudiu nally of said box, the hooked end of said bar sliding in and being; supported by the notch 16 of the flange lll. a rod 2l is mounted for rotation on the base 13 longitudinally of the bon l0 and entends through an aperture in the plate 1l, the end 22 of said rod within the box l0 being bent at right angles to the rod 2l to torni" a leg `parallel with the flange la and the end 9.3

ol said rod without said box` being also .limiting rotation ofthe rod 21 in one directionV and Contact of said -leg with the hooked, end of the bar 17 limiting rotation of said'rod in the other direction, so that y said rod and tlielegs 22 and 23 are free to g rotate through larcs of substantially ninety degrees. A target V24, offany desired size and shape andpreferably painted or colored so as to be readily visible at a considerable distance, issecured to the outerend of the leg 23,'said leg being of a length suflicient to permit said target to rise above the box` when said leg is in its vertical position. .A helicalspring 25. is wound around the rod 21 between its bearings on the base 13 one end of said spring .bearing against said base and the other end of the spring being hooked about the leg 22, the action of the spring 25 being such as to normally hold the leg 22 againstthe base 18 and the leg 23 bearing the target` 24 in vertical positioIL In thepraetical operation of my im )rovervInent,.the elements being in the trippe position shown in Figure 2, the leg 23 and target '24 are manually depressed from vertical to horizontal position against the action of the spring 25, bringing the leg 22 into verticalposition against the lock bar 17, the lever 19 is movedupwardly and `toward the openl end ofthe Vbox 10, moving the lock bar 17 forwardly longitudinally of the box 1() and engaging the hooked end of said bar vwith andV about the upper end of the leg 22, thus retainingfsaid leg in its vertical position and the leg. 23 with its target 24 in its horizontal position as shown in Figure 1. When the elements have been positioned as shown in Figure 1, the device is in its set position, and insertion of` mail through the open, end of the box 10 will displace t-he lever 19, unhook the bar'17 from its engagement with the leg 22 Vand permitthe spring 25 to operate and raise the leg 23- to its vertical position, displaying the target 2l above the box 10, thus indicating that mail has been placed in said box. Y

SinceP many changes and modifications may be hadiny the form and construction of the elements of my improvement without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited .solely by the scope. of the appended claims rather than by the illustrative description.

' I claim as my inventionn 1.'The combinationk with a mail box of a visual signalling device comprising a rotatable shaft within and extending without showing or foregoing said box, an arm on and at right angles to said shaft without said box, a target on the outer end of said arm, yielding means for normally holding said arm in substantially vertical position and manually-operable means for latching said arm in substantially horizont-al position against the pressure of saidryielding means.

2. The combination with a mail box of a visual signalling device comprising a rotatable shaft within and extending without said box, an arm on and at right angles to said shaft without said box, a target on the outerv end of said arm, yielding means on said shaft for normally holding said arm in substantially vertical position, a level pivotally mounted in the receiving end of said box and extending substantially across the opening thereof and connections between said lever and shaft whereby said shaft may be latched with said arm in substantially horizontal position against the pressure of said yieldingr means.

3. The combination with a. mail box of a visual signalling device comprising a rotatable shaft within and extending without said box, an arm on and at right angles to said shaft Without said box, a target on the outer end of said arm, a second arm on said shaft at right angles to said shaft and to said first arm and within said box, yielding means about said shaft engaging said second arm to normally hold the latter in substantially horizontal position, a lever pivotally mounted in and extendi substantially across the receiving end o said box, a bar pivoted at one end to said lever and extending across the plane of rotation of said second arm and a hooked end on said bar adapted to engage said second arm when said lever is in raised position and hold said second arm in substantially vertical position against the pressure of said yielding means.

4. The combination with a mail box ol a visual signalling device comprising a rotatable shaft extending within and without said box, an arm on and at right angles to said shaft without said box, a target on the outer end of said arm, yielding means engaging said shaft within said box for normally holding said arm in vertical position, latching means within said box for retaining said arm in horizontal position against the pressure of said yielding means and a trip lever within and extending substantially across the receiving end of said box wherebyY said latching means may be released to permit said arm to assume its normal vertical position.

5. The combination with a mail box of a visual signalling device comprising a rotatable shaft extending within and without said box, the ends of said shaft being bent at right angles thereto to form arms at right angles with each other, one of said arms being Without Seid box and bearing a target on its outer end, a spuug on sind shaft e11- gafgng' the arm Within said bo); to normally hold said arm n horizontal position, means for latollng said lattell arm in vertical position against the pressure of seid spring and means :including a lever adjacent and eX- JOSEPH H. KEERAN. 

